Technical Field
The present invention relates to an improvement in a gas supplying apparatus, for example, an integrated type gas supplying apparatus for semiconductor manufacturing equipment and relates to a gas supplying apparatus which can have a significantly increased number of gas supply lines, be downsized in dimensions and facilitate maintenance and inspection, etc., by further downsizing and making compact a pressure type flow control device and a thermal type flow control device used in the gas supplying apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, process gas has been supplied to semiconductor manufacturing equipment by using a so-called integrated type gas supplying apparatus.
FIG. 21 shows one example, in which two-way opening/closing valves 71A, 71B, three-way opening/closing valves 72A, 72B, a flow control device 73, etc., are integrated in a serial manner via block bodies 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, each of which has a gas flow passage, thereby forming one gas supplying line. And, the plurality of gas supplying lines are disposed and fixed in parallel via the block bodies 75, 79, thereby constituting an integrated type gas supplying apparatus (See, e.g., Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. H05-172265, etc.).
The integrated type gas supplying apparatus shown in FIG. 21 described above has excellent characteristics, for example, fixing bolts for fixing various types of devices to block bodies can be removed from the upper side of the apparatus to easily replace control devices which form various gas supply lines and also to easily cope with addition of gas supply lines, etc.
However, an increase in the number of required gas supply lines will inevitably result in an increase in depth dimension L of an integrated type gas supplying apparatus. Thus, a problem arises in that an increase in dimensions of the gas supplying apparatus cannot be avoided.
In particular, the flow control device 73 has a certain structural limit in reducing a depth dimension thereof (thickness dimension) L0. A thermal type flow control device (mass flow controller) requires a thickness dimension L0 of at least 20 mm to 25 mm, and a pressure type flow control device requires a thickness dimension L0 of 20 mm to 25 mm.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 22, there has been developed such a device in which a depth dimension L1 of the block body 76 for fixing the flow control device 73 is made identical with the depth dimension L0 (thickness dimension) of the flow control device 73. Furthermore, a clearance between the flow control devices 73 adjacent in parallel is made as small as possible and the flow control device 73 can be fixed by using a single fixing bolt 80 (See, e.g., Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2008-298180).
However, as described above, the flow control device 73 has a limit in reducing the depth dimension (thickness dimension) L0. Thus, an increase in the number of required gas supply lines will result in a dimensional increase in an integrated type gas supplying apparatus, making it difficult to substantially downsize the apparatus.
On the other hand, in recent years, in the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, semiconductor manufacturing processes have shifted to a so-called single substrate processing method. There have also been introduced a multiple chamber method in which one unit of semiconductor manufacturing equipment is provided with a plurality of process chambers to process a plurality of wafers all at once and a chamber multiple process method in which one process chamber is used to continuously perform a plurality of processes.
Therefore, a gas supplying apparatus is also strongly in demand with an increase in the number of gas supply lines according to an increase in the types of required supply gases. In actuality, there is a demand for an integrated type gas supplying apparatus which is capable of supplying 15 to 16 types of gases.
However, in view of reducing the costs associated with semiconductor manufacturing equipment and in particular in view of reducing the dimensions of expensive clean rooms, there has been a growing demand for reducing an installation space for the supplying apparatus. As a result, there is a demand for significant downsizing of the supplying apparatus. For example, in semiconductor manufacturing equipment employing a one-chamber multiple process method, there has been actual demand for an integrated type gas supplying apparatus equipped with 16 types of gas supply lines, the dimensions of which are 350 mm or less in width W, 250 mm or less in depth L and 250 mm or less in height H.
In an integrated type gas supplying apparatus, it is necessary to supply various types of special raw material gases to a process chamber instantly, at a predetermined flow rate and also in a completely clean state. It is, therefore, essential that the gas supplying apparatus can be managed for maintenance, in particular, various types of devices can be replaced and adjusted simply and easily, with no leakage at various connection portions.
Further, this type of gas supplying apparatus is required to be installed in general at an upper part of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, that is, between a ceiling part of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment and a ceiling part of the clean room. Therefore, in view of securing space necessary for maintenance and inspection, the integrated type gas supplying apparatus is required to keep its height dimension H and depth dimension L within about 250 mm and it is also required that various types of devices can be replaced, installed or adjusted, etc., from its side surface side of the apparatus.